Not Your Average Fruitcake

Source: Marthastewart.com

As a child, preparation for Christmas in my household usually starts just after Christmas. When the last piece of black cake and West Indian fruit cake are consumed my mom would set her fruits for the next Christmas. That means gathering raisins, currants, prunes, candied cherries and orange peel and meticulously passing it through a hand cranked mill until she has achieved the texture she’s looking for. Even in these modern times with electrical gadgets such as a food processor she still does it the old fashion way. Black cake and Fruit cake was serious business in our household, and my Mom makes the best!

Fruitcake has always had a bad reputation. Just the mare mention makes stomachs churn and is usually met with universal disdain. Traditionally, fruitcake is made with chunks of dried fruit, candied fruits and nuts which makes for one hell of a chunky cake filled with lots of not so tasty obstacles. Not all fruitcakes are created equal. This Fruitcake may bare the same name and similar ingredients but that’s where the similarity ends.

Our cake is more of a dense sponge cake. Dried fruits soaked in alcohol (usually Rum) for up to a year is finely ground, then added to a rich sponge cake batter. The result is anything but dry, this produces a rich, moist and silky texture that is further enhanced by soaking it in…you guessed it… more Rum. Hey if I can’t get tipsy from a slice a cake it needs more Rum. I promise you this, you won’t want to re-gift this Fruitcake. I made one pan for my myself and one for my mother-in-law and less than 24 hours after, I have less than half a pan remaining…yeah it’s that good.

For the Fruits you will need:

3/4 lb raisins

3/4 lb currants

3/4 lb prunes

1/4 lb candied cherries

1/4 lb mix citrus peel

1/4 lb almond or peanuts (optional)

Wash and grind all ingredients. This can done with a food mill or food processor. Mix in about 2 cups of rum and allow to sit for at least 2 weeks. Store in an airtight container.

Place butter and sugar in a large bowl and mix until fluffy and light in color. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition to make sure egg is incorporated. Please don’t rush this step, adding the eggs too soon or too many at one time can cause the mixture to curdle or separate.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and immediately pour 1/2 cup of rum over each cake. I like to add rum to my cake when it’s cooled and every day until cake is eaten. If you don’t like too strong of a rum flavor, just add after it comes out of the oven.

Oh wow, looks like too late for me to start preparation for this cake… 🙂 Bookmarked for next year!

JehanPAuthor

December 11, 2013 / 10:45 am

Thanks Natalie, I’ve added those steps. Thank you for visiting.

Sherri

January 17, 2014 / 8:25 pm

I am a foodie. I am also Guyanese and i have been playing around for a perfect fruit cake recipe. I did many tests but all have failed until i started looking for a recipe from a Guyanese. I have to tell you since i found this recipe and tried it it has become the only fruit cake recipe i use.
I have tried this as many as ten times and i love it all the time.
Thank you.

stella

November 3, 2014 / 8:34 am

Hi Jehan. Beautiful blog you’ve got here. Just wanted to ask. When adding the eggs,do I whusk first or do I add it immediately after breaking without whisking? Thanks

JehanPAuthor

November 3, 2014 / 9:51 am

Stella, there’s no need to whisk the eggs. It will be beaten with the batter.

Vanessa

December 11, 2016 / 5:01 am

Hi jehan, I want to make this .. I have fruits soaking in port wine.. can i still add dark rum to it? Or will it distort flavor?

JehanPAuthor

December 11, 2016 / 10:35 am

Vanessa it should be just fine. I’ve done it that way also and it hasn’t made a difference.

Sharon desouza

December 20, 2016 / 2:44 pm

My first time baking fruit cake . I followed your recipe, it was moist and taste awesome. Thank you. GT all the way.?